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November 17, 2011

Hot Vanilla Cider

cider (9)

In the world of beverages, this hot vanilla cider is as versatile as a little black dress. Serve it at a child’s holiday party or a wintry baby shower and you have yourself a guaranteed hit. Fill up a thermos and instantly enhance your Christmas tree purchasing experience. Add whipped cream on top and you’ll make an incredible liquid dessert. Spike your vanilla cider with bourbon and suddenly your little black dress turns frisky!

cider (7)

The problem with the frisky/boozy side of this drink is that it goes down too easy. I’m just gonna put that out there for your interpretation. I stopped at 1.5 drinks because I totally know my limits; I’m like a grownup or something.
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November 16, 2011

Pear Custard Pie

pear custard pie

PREP TIME: 15 min.

COOK TIME: 40-45 min.

What did I during the 40-45 minutes of cook time? A LOT.

After putting the custard pie into the oven and setting the timer, I cleaned up the kitchen, gathered laundry piles, sorted laundry piles and then put a load of laundry in the washer. I ran upstairs, checked my email, glanced at my phone, wrote 2 emails, read my horoscope, checked my online bank statement, sent a silly text message, checked my email again and ran downstairs. I proceeded to squeeze my cats, then I picked up a rogue sock off the floor, placed that sock in the hamper, grabbed a glass of water, glanced at the timer, checked out my eyebrows in the mirror, got the mail and then ran back into the kitchen. I laid a nice tea towel down in preparation for the pie, grabbed a few forks, and realized there was an entire surface of counter that I missed in my cleaning up process and then I waited.

pear custard pie

The pie came out of the oven and I stared at it impatiently. I went into my kitchen cabinet and grabbed some confectioner’s sugar, brought it over to the sink to load up my little strainer and proceeded to spill some sugar all over myself and the counter (I always do this!). I dusted the top with confectioner’s sugar then I dove into the pie and totally messed up the first slice. Oh well. I stood on a chair to take a few shots then I almost fell but luckily I braced myself. I stepped down from the chair and quickly ate the messed up slice. Realizing that my husband would want some, I scooped out a slice and walked over to him happily sharing what I just made.

pear custard pie

Not only was this pie a perfectly comforting treat on a chilly afternoon, it was so light and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. The pears were incredibly tender!  I heard his fork hit the plate a few times and then I heard a slight thud of the plate on the table. I looked over to see that he had stopped. He looked at me apologetically because he didn’t want to finish. Then I remembered that he doesn’t like custard based desserts. Sad trombone. How could I possibly be mad when the prep time was so short? Look at all I accomplished during that cook time.  I guess that means more for me, right? At least he ate two bites.
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November 14, 2011

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash

roasted sprouts, squash & cranberries

Are you a person who cringes when your foods touch? Don’t answer that. I don’t want to ruin my impression of you because I happen to really like when my foods touch. I like seeing what certain things taste like together because you never know when you’ll find a random winning combination. When I was 8 years old I had an epiphany when part of my dinner salad casually slid into my french fry ketchup mound. That day I discovered that ketchup on salad tasted just like 1000 island dressing without the mayo. I spent a good year putting ketchup on my salad while enduring the looks of disgust from my family. Have I lost you?

roasted sprouts, squash & cranberries

The other day I decided to eat comfort food in the form of Thanksgiving dinner (for lunch) from Whole Foods. I got home, opened the cardboard to-go box and saw that all of the contents had shifted. Delightful!  The Brussels sprouts and roasted butternut squash were saturated with gravy and cranberry sauce and I thought, “We’re really onto something here.” I decided to give you a recipe that I like to call a happy accident, even though I did it on purpose. I just want your taste buds to thank me for something new and different. In this dish, sweet roasted cubes of butternut squash mix with savory browned Brussels sprouts, bits of apples, onions, smoked curry powder and the surprising tang of cranberries. It’s like stuffing but without the bread, a roasted medley that’s perfect for all the vegans, vegetarians & gluten-free diners at your Thanksgiving table. You could eat it on a random fall afternoon because you’re ridiculously excited about Thanksgiving dinner. It’s really up to you.
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November 12, 2011

365- Weeks 44 & 45

A food related photo everyday til 2012. Week 43 & 44:

316/365 Mood lighting & wine at Murray Circle. Double date night!

11.11.11
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November 11, 2011

I Love Lists Friday!

  1. DIY Peter Pan Collar. WANT/NEED.
  2. These would be the PERFECT little Thanksgiving appetizers!
  3. If you’re Gluten-Free or having someone over who is, this post is super.
  4. I want to BURY my face in this gooey pumpkin cookie cake skillet. For serious.
  5. This epic post (10 Real-Talk Blog Tips) was written in my guest bedroom. LOVE that.
  6. I love when other bloggers come visit SF. It’s nice to see my home from a fresh perspective.
  7. This soup. OH THIS SOUP. Going on the TO-DO list, for sure.
  8. Such a pretty Fall wedding! That yellow cardigan is such an beautiful touch…
  9. Did you know this is my go-to Rock Band song? (I love finding videos on Pinterest!)
  10. I’ve been blog stalking Jessica from how sweet it is this whole week. Shhh. Don’t tell.
  11. I don’t know what I’d without this website. There are soo many gems! I want to send like 2000 e-cards.

TWO more things!

A new Joy the Baker podcast this week. Episode #26 is all about LADY WISDOM!

Do you like snooping? You should check out my medicine cabinet. No, really! I cleaned it up just for YOU on my new column, High Straightenence at Homefries!

Happy 11.11.11!

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November 9, 2011

Roasted Spaghetti Squash w/ Mushrooms

spaghetti squash with mushrooms

TEXT MESSAGE BETWEEN HUSBAND & WIFE:

Husband: What’s for dinner?

Wife: Spaghetti squash w/ mushrooms

Husband: K. be home in 15.

spaghetti squash with mushrooms

After texting his wife, husband drives home with the thought of digging into a big bowl of creamy/carb dense spaghetti with mushrooms & a full glass of wine. When husband walks up to the kitchen table, he looks deflated after realizing he’s been duped AGAIN with spaghetti squash! Why does his wife always try to pull a fast one? Doesn’t she know he’s not vegetarian?

spaghetti squash with mushrooms

Knowing this might be the case, wife plans ahead and makes a small batch of garlic bread to compensate for the lack of carbs. Turns out husband (a carb lover who doesn’t love mushrooms) actually enjoys this Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms recipe. Wife is satisfied with the dinner she concocted and is happy she is able get a huge bowl of vegetables into her husband’s belly. Good wives know that the key to a man’s heart is through garlic bread.
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November 7, 2011

Avocado + Charred Tortilla

avocado & charred tortilla

I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite snacks.

Avocado + Charred Corn Tortilla, meet Shutterbean Readers.

Shutterbean Readers, meet Avocado + Charred Corn Tortilla.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about this favorite snack of mine. It’s really simple, absolutely tasty and worth it when you find an awesome avocado. I think I’ve only had two really good avocados this year. What gives? Sometimes I eat this tortilla & avocado number with an egg in the morning. Sometimes it’s a full blown lunch or maybe it plays the role of an afternoon snack. The protein of the avocado works wonders!
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